Announces birth of his fourth son, Leonard.
Showing 1–20 of 39 items
The Charles Darwin Collection
The Darwin Correspondence Project is publishing letters written by and to the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Complete transcripts of letters are being made available through the Project’s website (www.darwinproject.ac.uk) after publication in the ongoing print edition of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin (Cambridge University Press 1985–). Metadata and summaries of all known letters (c. 15,000) appear in Ɛpsilon, and the full texts of available letters can also be searched, with links to the full texts.
Announces birth of his fourth son, Leonard.
Sends cirripede specimens for Ipswich Museum.
Asks how much a village fireworks display would cost.
Comments on the need in education for good habits of expression and accurate observation instead of making "wretched Latin verses".
Sends an enclosure forwarded from Down.
CD has been reassured about his "speculation" in Mr Warren’s company. Thanks JSH for his advice and trouble.
Would like to meet JSH in London.
Honoured and gratified by the dedication [to CD] of Hooker’s book [Himalayan journals].
News of Lyell from Madeira.
Sends his comments on JSH’s MS on cirripedes ["On typical objects in natural history", Rep. BAAS (1855): 108–26].
Asks JSH to inquire about drift-wood at Kerguelen Land.
Hooker’s observation on similarity of Kerguelen plant species to those of Tierra del Fuego strikes CD as a great anomaly, so he is searching for an answer, "however improbable".
Acknowledges a list [of plants?].
Looks forward to new edition [of British plants growing wild in the parish of Hitcham, Suffolk, 2d ed. (1855)].
JSH should not trouble about Anacharis until he is less busy. Will send cirripedes.
Thanks JSH for Anacharis which is flourishing.
P. H. Gosse told him he had several sea animals and algae living in artificial sea-water for over 13 months.
Asks whether JSH considers Lychnis diurna and L. vespertina species or varieties.
Asks for help with his work on hybrids.
Would like JSH to go over London catalogue of British plants, marking "close species", i.e., those he considers real species but which are very closely allied. Withholds his motive as it might influence the result.
Has found Agrostis with worms in every germen and no stamens on stigma.
Now has 46 kinds of peas all growing together.
Sends a list of plants with stamps to pay the Hitcham girls who will collect seeds for him.
Describes his work with seeds in salt water.
For his experiments he would like seeds collected from plants that grow both near Hitcham and in the Azores.
Explains again what JSH should do in marking "close species".
Thanks JSH for seeds.
Clarifies his request about marking [London] catalogue [of British plants] – JSH is to mark those he thinks really are species, but which are very closely allied to some other species.
Asks for advice on establishing a control group in his experiments to produce sports and varieties of Lychnis diurna.
Seeks seeds of wild Dianthus for hybridising and producing varieties.
Sends a list of 22 plants that grow at Hitcham and in the Azores and are, according to H. C. Watson, least likely to have been imported [by man]. Will pay the little girls of Hitcham liberally to collect the seeds for his experiments.
Thanks JSH for all he has done. His botanical little girls are marvellous. His marking of the list of dubious species is what CD wanted. Explains that he wanted to ascertain whether closely allied forms belong to large or small genera.
Invites JSH to dine at CD’s brother’s house in London.
Delighted JSH can dine. Has invited Hooker.
Thanks him for Lychnis seed.
Asks for umbel of wild celery. Wants to ascertain whether wild or tame plants produce most seed.
Asks JSH to identify an umbellifer.
Describes his efforts to compare number of seeds of wild and cultivated plants.
Asks that more wild celery be collected and seeds counted. Seeks to verify whether "most typical form produces most seed" and whether cultivation lessens fertility.
Is impressed by all JSH is doing with his lectures and exhibitions at Hitcham.
Has read admirable Hooker MS on variation, geographical range, etc. [Introductory essay to the Flora Indica (1855)].